Win (left) and Bright (right) in the TV series. Photo: Screenshot of video posted on Sina Weibo

Thailand's 2gether: The Series, a TV rom-com about boys’ love (BL), has exploded in popularity on Chinese social media, further improving cultural communication between China and Thailand alongside other BL dramas including TharnType: The Series.

The TV series starring Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree and Win Metawin Opasiamkajor premiered in Thailand on February 21. It currently has a 9.3/10 on popular Chinese media review site Douban and has even been hailed for “reaching the ceiling of Thai BL drama” by Chinese netizens.

Win plays a student named Tin, who has a gay admirer in his school named Green. To get Green to give up, Tin’s friends convince him to have Sarawat (Bright) pretend to be his boyfriend. Unexpectedly, however, a romance starts to blossom between the two male students.

Although only three episodes have been released so far, Chinese netizens have been enjoying speculating about upcoming plots and commenting on the relationship between the leading characters.

“I am sure that Sarawat fell in love with Tin before that other cute boy, but he is so cool and distant that he did not reveal his feelings to Tin,” a Chinese netizens wrote on Douban. 

“No need to worry, Tin’s positive actions will pull them together.”

The TV series is adapted from the hit Thai novel of the same name. Every time the story has been updated, the hashtag for the series has topped the trending charts on Twitter, according to an introduction on Douban.

Thai BL dramas have a huge and loyal fanbase in China, allowing Chinese netizens to get a better understanding of the country’s culture.

“I love watching these types of TV dramas from Thailand. Some of them have interesting storylines and some have handsome actors. I was also moved by the deep love between characters in one drama,” a Chinese fan who has watched dozens of such dramas told the Global Times on Sunday.

She said that through these programs, she come to understand what Thai people like to eat and drink and how they celebrate some special local festivals, even though she has never visited the country. 

“Their campus culture is so attention-grabbing, including the graduation ceremony. TV series do let me get a step closer to the country.”

Some similar Chinese TV series have also gained a lot of fans in Thailand, such as The Untamed, which is so popular in the country that the actors attended a fan meeting in September 2019 to interact with fans.

Based on a fantasy world in ancient China, the show offers Thai viewers the opportunity to appreciate different types of Chinese traditional culture such as costumes, instruments and music.